


Cel Failed Their Sleight of Hand Check

by Quinnoid



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Exactly What It Says on the Tin, Spoilers for RQG 165
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:48:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25879186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinnoid/pseuds/Quinnoid
Summary: Cel succeeds in gently caressing Azu.
Relationships: Azu & Celiquilliton "Cel" Sidebottom
Comments: 10
Kudos: 26





	Cel Failed Their Sleight of Hand Check

“Is there something behind me?” Azu turned in confusion, and Cel saw their chance. But, just as they leaned in, the ship slanted just a bit to the left, and instead of nimbly slipping the fang from behind Azu’s ear, their fingers brushed gently down her neck and came to rest on her bright pink pauldron.

“Ah, no!” Cel squeaked and blushed as Azu spun back around, looking even more confused than before. “I’m sorry!”

Azu stared at them, a strange look on her face. “Wait. You too?”

“Me too?” The meaning of her words slowly dawned on Cel and they blushed even harder, barely noticing her mutter about incense. “Oh! Well, I mean, you are also  _ very cute _ , but I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything, since, you know, I’m quite a bit older, and the thing with Siggif, you know, and then with Kiko..” They trailed off and ran a hand through their hair, spiking it up.

“You aren’t imposing. Or you wouldn’t be. If you do feel that way.” Azu shifted slightly and took a deep breath. “I may be young, but I’m quite capable. If I am uncomfortable with something, I’ll let you know.”

“I.. Yes.. well. I’m.” Cel swallowed, trying to organize their thoughts. They glanced at the fang again. “Uhm. Azu?”

“Yes?”

“You have a fang behind your ear.”

“I have a fang?” Azu grimaced and reached up. Her fingers brushed against the small, yellowed fang tucked behind her left ear and she gingerly grabbed it. She stared at it with a bemused expression. “I have.. A fang.”

“I am so sorry! I guess one of the kobolds must have.. Although how they did that without you.. Well you are.. Hm. I’ll have a chat with them, I think we need to make a rule 3. That’s.. Yeah that’s kind of..” They rambled for a moment, finally stopping when they noticed Azu staring at them with an intense expression they couldn’t quite place. “I’m sorry Azu.”

“Why are you apologizing?” Azu chuckled. 

“Well, see, the kobolds and I have been playing a game, you see, called Hide the Fang? Except the translation for fang isn’t quite right, I think it’s a bit uhm,  _ suggestive _ in Draconic, or maybe vulgar, but we’ve been taking this fang and also a few others and hiding them all over the ship! One time I hid it  _ off _ the ship, but then no one found it and the game got kind of boring. And Draal ate one of the fangs.” Cel laughed at Azu’s suddenly pained expression. “Don’t worry, hun, that was a different fang!”

“I see.” Azu still looked wary.

“Anyway, it’s a bit of an invasion of privacy, you know?” Cel shrugged. “Like, if they were to hide it on me, that’d be fine because I’m playing the game, but you had no idea about the game, and instead.. Well, yeah.”

“It’s alright.” Azu said. “Here.” She held out the fang for Cel. They grinned, picking it up with much more grace than earlier. They ignored their slightly increasing pulse when their fingers brushed against her palm.

Cel regarded the fang for a moment. If they remembered correctly, it was Natun’s, but honestly, they’d gone through about ten fangs already over the course of the game. Cel held it back out for Azu. “Do you want to hide it?”   
  


Azu’s eyes lit up, but she hesitated. “Are you sure the kobolds are okay with me playing? It sounds like your thing, and I don’t want to intrude.”

  
“Oh! Well? I’m sure they’ll be fine with it, but if you give me like, five minutes, I can find one and ask them? Unless.. Oh hey, we were talking about marriage! And Kiko!”

“And you.” Azu said simply.

“Ah. Right. And me.” Cel tucked the fang into one of their pockets. “You have some thinking to do, yeah, so I’m gonna go get Skraak and-” Azu put her hand on their shoulder, stopping them mid-sentence. “Yes?”

“Do you see that?” Azu asked, pointing at the horizon. Cel squinted against the icy wind, but the white landscape stayed the same. They frowned and pulled their goggles down. For a moment, they still couldn’t see through the golden tint, and then the strange mountain looming on the horizon cleared. 

“Oh. Oh! Is this the sort of thing we should consult Mr. Smith about?” Cel asked.

“Yes. But I will.. I will think about everything later, when we aren’t about to maybe die.”

Cel began to maneuver down the exceptionally spiky Jacobs ladder, Azu following closely. When they were both safely clipped back onto the deck guidelines, Cel looked up at Azu. “Just don’t wait too long, y’know? We’re kind of always about to maybe die, especially in this line of work. If you wait too long.. Well.”

“I won’t. Thank you Cel.”

“You’re welcome Azu!”

**Author's Note:**

> I'll spearhead the entire timeline of fanbased content being born lmao


End file.
